Puno, Peru 🇵🇪
It was freezing cold last night in the hostel, so I am not feeling refreshed for my early start today. I am signed up for another boat trip on Lake Titicaca this time to the floating Islands of Uros and to Taquile Island.
It is a beautiful morning, a little nippy but the lake is calm and tranquil. We approach a line of three reed islands and it is clear we are going to dock at the third. It is about 7 metres wide and feels stable to stand on. We are greeted by the community that lives on the island, led by Thomas and his wife Maria. They all have bare feet which I find incredible given we can still see a frost sat on some areas of the island.
There are 96 islands with over 2000 inhabitants across them. Thomas shows us how they construct the islands which can take up to a year to build. They start in the rainy season by cutting reed root clumps into blocks that provide the foundation to the island. The blocks then have eucalyptus wood inserted into them that can then be used to tie the blocks together. The space between the wooden pegs is then covered with chopped reeds, and the island can then be built up with each reed layer added in a perpendicular direction to the last. Dwellings can then be added for the community, within the seperate cooking hut there is a stone added under the fire pot for safety. They build a new island every 11 years.
We have a trip out into the reeds on a simply made reed boat which is fun and still peaceful despite us being a big group. Thomas shows us how they cut the reed from the base and then peel it for a healthy snack. It tastes similar to Chinese water chestnuts. Our visit is over too soon and I can see the next boat of tourists arriving to meet Thomas and his lovely family.
Our next stop is the Taquile Island, about an hour further on. This is a Island in the lake with around 2500 inhabitants. Taquile is a hilly island with stunning views of the lake across to the snow capped Andes in Bolivia. We hike up to a restaurant where we are served traditional quinoa soup, fresh grilled trout and a cup of Manu (native mint) tea. Our host also shows us how they make shampoo using a plant called Tohu, for hair or clothes. Our guide also uses this time to talk us through their very traditional dress, different hats dependent on age and then a hat and belt which indicates marital status. The married men also have a waist pouch which contains cocoa leaves to exchange with others as a greeting rather than shaking hands. The woman have a simple black shawl with 2 differently coloured pom-poms, they display a colour based on whether they are happy or if they have a problem they need help with. The authority on the island is elected each year and they seem to govern in a peaceful way. We walk up to the main square, Plaza del Armas for panoramic views and then along to the other side of the island to meet our boat.
We return into Puno for 5pm, where I have 4 hours to kill before my first ever night bus! I have dinner with a South African guy I met today and then chat to 2 kiwi girls who are also travelling tonight. We board our bus at 9pm, fortunately getting 2 seats each so we can relax. We set off and see the low moon sat magically reflecting on the still waters of Lake Titicaca.
